Playing card shuffling device



April 12, 1955 Filed Aug. 3, 1950 R. NOTZ PLAYING CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

April 12, 1955 R. NOTZ PLAYING CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1950 M BY dawn/I United States Patent PLAYING CARD SHUFFLING DEVICE Rudolph Notz, Lincolnwood, Ill., assignor to Nestor Johnson Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application August 3, 1950, Serial No. 177,492

" -1 Claim. (Cl. 273-149) This invention relates generally to a device for intermixing thin sheeted objects, and particularly to a device especially adapted for the intermixing or shuffling of playing cards.

One of the objects of the present invention resides in the provision of a form of shufliing device capable of handling from one to three decks of playing cards at any one time, and characterized by the provision of means that will so intermingle the cards that the sequence or order of the intermingled cards cannot be known, and cannot be influenced by the operator.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a form of shuffling device wherein the deck or decks of cards are manually split into two substantially equal portions, and the two portions inserted horizontally into the shuflfling device from opposite ends thereof, with the sides of the cards constituting the leading edges thereof.

Still another object of the present invention resides in a device of the character described wherein the two portions of the split deck inserted into opposite sides of the device are advanced inwardly of the device toward each gther and intermingled in a central well provided in the evlce.

A still further object of the present invention resides in the provision of means for deflecting the leading edges of the cards downwardly into the central well of the device whereby to obviate the possibility of the leading edges of two or more cards, which are advanced into the central well from opposite sides of the device, from abutting and upending in the central well with consequent exposure of the faces of the cards.

A still further object of the present invention resides in the provision of means for supporting the split deck or decks of cards at opposite ends of the shufliing device in such manner that frictional contact between the lowermost cards of the split deck or decks is reduced to the absolute minimum.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described that is compact in size, economical to manufacture and assemble, easy to operate, and having a minimum number of parts conducive to practical operation.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and in part will hereinafter appear, and they consist generally in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction to be described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown the preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a shufliing device embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of the shuffling device of Figure 1, taken substantially along the plane of the line 2-2 thereof;

Figure 3 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, taken substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 44 of Figure 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the shufiling device of the present invention comprises a frame or housing 3 composed of side walls 45, respectively, each of which is of generally oval shape and has a depending portion 6 provided with an outturned flange 7 to serve as a support for the walls. Walls 45 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the length of a card, by plates 9-10, each of which is provided with flanges 11-12 abutting the inner surface of walls 4-5 and secured thereto as by screws 13-14, respectively. Plates 9-10 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of a card, and each plate is bent at right angles to itself intermediate its ends. The vertically disposed portions 9a and 10a of plates 9-10 form the end walls of the casing or housing 3 and, together with the walls 45, define a centrally disposed receiving well 8 for the shuffled cards. The portions 9b and 10b of plates 9 and 10 extend horizontally outwardly from portions 9a and 10a and define card receiving platforms.

The card receiving platforms 9b and 10b are relieved of metal to provide the curved defining edges 15, which facilitates placing of the cards on the platforms. At their outermost end, the platforms are provided with the upwardly inclined lip 16 for a purpose that will hereinafter appear. At the juncture or bend of the platforms and end walls, there is provided the transverse slot 17. A portion of this slot lies within the confines of end walls 9a-10a, and the remaining portion of the slot lies within the confines of platforms 9b-10b.

Projecting into the slots 17 in plates 9-10 are card remvoing means comprising rollers 18-19. Such rollers are so positioned in the slots that their peripheral surfaces extend only very slightly above the upper surfaces of platforms 912-1011, and only very slightly inwardly of the inner surfaces of end walls 9a-10a. The rollers are made of frictional material, preferably rubber, and are fixed to shafts 20-21, these shafts being rotatably journaled in bushings 22 in front and rear walls 45.

Shafts 20-21 extend through side wall 5 and are there provided with pinion gears 23-24, respectively, fixed thereto. Gear 23 meshes with an idler or reversing gear 25 rotatably journaled on a stub shaft 26 fixed to wall 5. Meshing with gears 24-25 is a spur gear 27 fixed to one end of a shaft 28, which shaft is rotatably journaled in a hearing or sleeve 29 flanged at 30 to a cover 31. The bearing projects horizontally outwardly from cover 31, and the end of shaft 28 projecting therefrom has a cupshaped disc 32 fixed thereto. The peripheral edge of the disc 32 rides in a recess 33 pressed inwardly of cover 31. A pin 34 fixed to disc 32 has a handle 35 rotatably mounted thereon, the disc and gear 27 thus being rotated through the medium of handle 35 and shaft 28. As viewed in Figure 2, rotation of gear 27 in the direction of the arrow causes roller 19 to rotate in a clockwise direction and roller 18 in a counterclockwise direction.

The cover 31 encloses the above described gear train. Such cover conforms generally in shape to the oval shape of wall 5 and is provided with the inturned flange 36 for abutting against said wall, to which the cover is attached as by means of screws 37 passing through suitable openings in the cover and threading into wall 5.

As the cards are removed from platforms 9b-10b, they pass beneath deflecting means 38. Such means comprises a pair of transversely spaced apart discs 39-40 fixed to a shaft 41, which shaft is extended between walls 4-5 and rotatably journaled therein. It will be noted, in Figure 2, that shaft 41 is positioned off center with respect to well 8, so that a card from platform 10b will be deflected downwardly by discs 39-40 before a card from platform 9b reaches the discs. This obviates the possibility of cards from platforms 912-1011 meeting endto-end in well 8 and upending therein with consequent exposure of their faces.

The number of cards removed from platforms 9b-10b is governed by card abutment end plates 42-43 which are provided with the flanges 44 for attachment to side walls 6-7, as by screws 45. The lower edge of plate 42 is provided with a pair of transversely spaced apart and downwardly depending tapered lugs or ears 42a, while plate 43 is provided with similar ears 43a. As the removed cards pass between the under-surface of ears 42a-43a and the rollers 18-19, it will be noted that the provision of these tapered ears reduces to a minimum the frictional contact of the cards with the abutment plates. The plates 42-43 are so positioned that they are offset slightly outwardly of the vertical plane of end plates 9a-10a. The space between the under surface of ears 42a-43a and the peripheral surface of rollers 18-19, respectively, is such that at least three cards may pass therethrough at any one time. This leaves to chance whether one, two or three cards are removed from the platforms at any one time, and that will be determined by the frictional contact between the cards, per se, as well as between the cards and rollers 18-19. A handle 46 secured to plates 42-43 as by screws 47 facilitates lifting the device to obtain access to the shuffled cards in well 8.

The shufiling device is capable of shuffling one to three decks of cards. In operation, the deck is split or divided into substantially equal parts, and a portion of the split deck deposited on each of the platforms 9b10b. It will be noted that the trailing edge of the cards seat on the upwardly inclined lip 16. That reduces to a minimum all frictional contact between platforms 9b-10b and the cards. It also serves to tilt the cards forwardly and downwardly into contact with rollers 1819, and eliminates the necessity of any extraneous means for that purpose. With the cards on platforms 9b-10b, the disc 32 and gear 27 are rotated rapidly in a clockwise direction (when facing disc 32, or in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2) resulting in rollers 18-19 removing the lowermost cards of the split deck from plat forms 9b10b and projecting them into the central well 8 beneath deflecting means 38 in intermixed relationship. After all the cards are removed from the platforms, the device is simply lifted off of the shuffled cards and set aside.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described by way of example, it will be obvious that changes may be made therein Within the spirit and scope of the invention, and, therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the precise form herein described, except insofar as it may so be limited by the appended claim.

I claim:

A card shuffiing device comprising a housing having side walls, a pair of end walls spacing said side walls apart, a card holding platform integral with and positioned at right angles to each of said end walls and extending outwardly therefrom between said side walls, the outer end of said platform having an upturned lip to support the cards on said platforms out of frictional contact therewith, said end walls and said platforms having a transverse slot at their juncture and extending downwardly from said card holding platforms and having their lower defining edge terminating adjacent the lower defining edge of said side walls whereby to define a central well extending from the card holding platforms to the bottom of said shuffiing device, card removing means positioned in the transverse slot at the juncture of each of said platforms and end walls and operable to project said cards into said central well, said card removing means comprising a pair of frictional rollers each having their shafts journaled in said side walls, a pinion fixed on each of said shafts outwardly of one of said side walls, a reversing gear meshing with the pinion on one of said shafts, a spur gear having its shaft positioned wholly above the shafts of said frictional rollers and above the upper surface of said card platforms, said spur gear meshing with the pinion on one of said shafts and with said reversing gear, means for rotating said spur gear, and means positioned adjacent said card removing means and limiting the number of cards removed from said platforms at any one time.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,953 Tingley et al Nov. 29, 1887 1,885,276 McKay Nov. 1, 1932 1,955,926 Matthaey Apr. 24, 1934 1,969,117 Bohling Aug. 7, 1934 1,998,690 Shepherd et al Apr. 23, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,427 Great Britain 1891 17,656 Great Britain n. 1907 

